Possible tropical storm system moves away from Beaufort County coastline

Waves will be higher and winds brisker at Beaufort County beaches this weekend as a weather system expected to become the season's second tropical storm skirts the South Carolina coast.

The system, about 300 miles southeast of Charleston late Friday night, was tracking toward the Jacksonville, Fla., area, National Weather Service forecasters said. It has an 80 percent chance of becoming a tropical storm -- with the name Beryl -- by Sunday evening.

Tropical storm warnings were issued from Edisto Beach -- just north of Beaufort County -- to the Cape Canaveral area in Florida.

The system could bring big waves and gusts up to 25 mph to Lowcountry beaches. The chance of rain will be 16 percent today, 40 percent tonight, 60 percent on Sunday and 40 percent on Monday, the weather service said.

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